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Review Summary: Still the ensemble of harmony we love. Kamelot has set an extremely high bar, somehow escaping the scrutiny placed on many power metal bands for the overdone attempt at "epicness" and squeaky high vocals. This is because while they never exactly carved a new sound they never played too hard on the stereotypes. This doesn't really change off the album "Ghost Opera". The vocalist still has a gorgeous and sometimes slightly sinister mid-range (best example-"Rule the World"), their are still powerful and catchy riffs, and some violin to add a bit of flair into the mix. The difference between this and albums like "Epica" or anything prior is the level of presence the symphonies have in the music.
In just about every track horns, violins, and entire orchestras even are used to create a dramatic flair that normally would be left mostly to the vocalist. They are simply put, lovely. They aren't truly astounding, aside from perhaps the violin intro "Solitaire", however they are not overbearing and present just a small dose of grandeur to the album. They are powerful and epic yet never threaten to swallow the guitar riffs or the drum work, or, most importantly, the vocals.
Which is easily one of the strongest parts of this album. Roy Kans vocals are stunning, always charged with passion and capable of an extremely wide vocal range that never seems to strains its boundaries. When he wants to do truly high vocals, they don't come off as ear-piercing, but rather soothing and operatic. The only unfortunate part is despite this is that he does feel a bit more restrained then on prior albums, so when comparing his vocals to previous works they do not quite measure up. That is probably the only fault of this album-it's what you have heard from Kamelot, just not quite as impressive.
That isn't to say that there are not some truly standout moments however. Songs like "Silence of the Darkness" and "Rule the World" are still among the bands best songs, with the latter having an amazing opening riff paired with rolling drums (some of the best drums off the album, really) and an incredible keyboard solo and guitar shred. There may not be an astounding number of extremely catchy riffs or intriguing drum fills, but there are still enough to keep the album fresh and interesting. Also, I had stated earlier that symphonies play a bigger role than usual, filling in much of the void left from the other instruments, and while these don't reach any truly perfect crescendos, they do come very close at points ("Anthem" specifically is a tranquil gorgeous track).
This isn't breaking new ground for power metal, or even for Kamelot, however it shows that the band can incorporate symphony not only without coming off as cheesy, which in itself is often a feat, but in a way that adds a wave of peace and pleasure to their sound. Alongside Ray Kan, they give the album a sweet yet slightly somber tone, perhaps not excelling at this, but still doing it to an extent that their is still a profound level of passion that is only somewhat less than they have proven to be capable of.
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Album Rating: 4.0
While I agree with the rating, the review doesn't read as a 4, as one might say you focus on the cons of the album. Still, it's an interesting album and gives some of Kamelot's best songs (Rule the World, Ghost Opera, Through the Ashes, Love You to Death, The Human Stain)
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
I suppose it may be in part because there weren't too many incredible tracks but those few tracks are honestly some of my favorite by Kamelot, e,g Rule the World and Silence of the Darkness
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
not a big fan of Silence of the Darkness (the title alone makes it sound like it was written by a goth teen) but I'll agree on Rule the World
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Kamelot has a lot of cheesy semi-average titles to be honest however. I just think that Silence of the Darkness is infectiously catchy although that could just be me. My favorite Kamelot song as a whole however is definetly Center of the Universe. I sing that song after chorus class pretty much daily xD
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Very good review! There's some things that I disagree with (e.g. "Silence of the Darkness" being one of the band's best songs - aside from the keyboard solo, it's one of the most ordinary tracks they did during this era of their career), but the second paragraph in particular is totally spot on.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Hey thanks man! I suppose best of their career might be a bit of an overstatement but it still a personal favorite, definitely among my top ten Kamelot songs.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
A drop from the marvelous The Black Halo, but still a quality album. "The Human Stain" is my favourite here.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Yeah I hear that as a personal favorite constantly. I don't think I enjoyed it as immensely as some people but it was still pretty awesome
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Also nice rating for the Kamijo EP ;).
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Haha thanks I don't know if you did the review but that was honestly how I got into it. It's fucking magnificent. One of the few EP's/albums I HAVE to hear all the way through whenever I listen
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Nah, it wasn't me, I don't think I'd be able to do it justice. It's such a ride and it flows perfectly.
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It's almost perfect agreed.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Gotta love Human Stain for the verse piano alone. Never heard anything like it anywhere in metal, let alone power metal. There's a dozen of other reasons why it's my favorite on here though.
And yeah, that Kamijo EP is pretty much flawless (if you can take the cheese that is, but that's never really been a problem for me heheh)
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Yup, such as the bass presence which power metal tends to bury, the sorta nihilistic lyrics, the ripping solo and the general sense of urgency.
And Kamijo fromage is always tasty.
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That and the t/t rule hard. Regarding that EP, little gives the feels more than when Throne kicks in.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Throne is honestly the most gorgeous and uplifting ending I have heard in any power metal album/EP. Only two albums by Angra really top Kamijo in terms of power metal for me.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Eden Echo is also amazing. Awesome time signature changes and a great chorus. Reminds me a bit of Karma.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
All this talk makes me more hyped for Friday when I'm seeing them. They might play the title track from here.
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Definitely. Remember when it first came out and I never knew and weren't expecting much, then the music video got uploaded and for those 28 minutes I was in sheer awe. Glad I own the Blu Ray of it, also Evo report with the setlist and how it was. You get to see dreamboat Tommy after all ;)
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Evo, so you're seeing Kamelot? That's great, Tommy is one hell of a live singer. Saw them back in 2013, hope they haven't changed too much since then.
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